Friday, December 03, 2010

Quick Takes Friday

1-Eva lost her second tooth last night...and by lost, I mean hubby pulled it out. That's tooth number two where the adult tooth was growing in behind the baby tooth. Both Eva and MIL thought that she should have the second one pulled by the dentist, too. The "tooth fairy" (I tell Eva that Daddy dresses up in a tutu when he is the tooth fairy) left a bonus. Thankfully I had a little cash, or the tooth fairy would have to leave an IOU. So, Eva was happy to find $1.50 this morning...it was either that or a $5, and we thought that would be a bit much.

2-Thanksgiving really messed up my library schedule (which is that I go in every Thursday and try to get books for the following week's preschool topic. I guess the good news is that SIL works at the elementary school library and is willing to bring me home books when I forget or can't find anything at the library. This week, I had her bring me some books, but she couldn't find enough books about nursery rhymes in her library, so on Monday I went to the public library. The librarian found me another book, plus a few collections of nursery rhymes, and put a book on hold for me that she thought would be good, but was out with a daycare family and was due at storytime on Wednesday. So, yesterday I dropped off the DVD we checked out on Monday(they are only good for 1 week) and the librarian had two books waiting for me. I also completely forgot to look for books for next week's topic (which to be honest, I haven't checked to see what it is yet...gotta be more organized at some point.)

3-We've been trying to plug away at school, but getting back to a regular schedule is proving to be difficult after thanksgiving and while recovering from sickness. Eva had a reaction to her Amoxicillin, and so now she's on benedryl and has an allergy marked down on her chart. With all the calling and waiting for calls from the doctor's office (not to mention the Girl Scouts and errands in town yesterday afternoon) we didn't get any school done yesterday. We did car schooling on Tuesday to take MIL to a doctor's appointment, so we'll need to do some school today, and possibly might do some more school tomorrow. Our exchange student has the day off today for a teacher inservice, so my little girls have to do school, but she doesn't have to go. I don't think the little girls have figured out she's still here, which is good, otherwise Charlotte would probably go wake her up.

4-Hubby and I are taking a mini-vacation as our Christmas gifts to each other. I booked the hotel yesterday, so there is no looking back. He has to go to a Knights of Columbus state meeting in January, so I booked a room in the same hotel for two nights before the meeting, and we are leaving behind the girls and the exchange student. Eva and Charlotte will stay with MIL and FIL. SIL will come over here to stay with our exchange student. It's not in the most exciting venue on the planet, but it should be fun to have some time away from the farm.

5-Speaking of the farm...our bottle calves are being weaned right now, so before too long we will have no personal cows. Of course, one of hubby's uncles has a whole bunch of cows on the circle by our house, so we won't be cow-less. Our poor cats, who seem very attached to the cows, might be a little sad to see them go.

6-On my to do list - call the vet to have the cats spayed and neutered. Take the car to the body shop (again). The day after I got the chips filled on the windshield (1 week after I got the bumper replaced), I hit a pheasant driving to bible study. It cracked the cover on my passenger side headlight. Well, the headlight has been working sometimes and not working sometimes. On our way home from church and seeing the movie "Tangled" last weekend, we got pulled over for a nonworking headlight. So, I guess I really need to get it taken care of...but I am a little afraid of what I might do to the car next if I take it into the body shop again...

7-We are going to have a very busy Sunday this week. We usually go to Mass on Saturday nights, but Eva and Charlotte are going to sing the offertory hymn with the Religious Education program, I am substituting as cantor (and MIL is lector, both positions sit on the altar for the whole Mass here...so I really hope hubby and SIL are willing and able to come and sit with and help with the kids). Then, in the late afternoon the Religious Ed classes are having their advent program, followed by a dinner (and Santa...as much as I have pleaded that we don't need Santa at a church thing, no one listens...) Then, at night, hubby and I are teaching our first virtual NFP class online. It looks like we'll have one couple in California, one in Texas and us here in Colorado. I am really hoping it all goes well and that the technology isn't too much for us!

1 comment:

Hi! I thought it'd be easier for me to pop over here and comment rather than try to reply at F&FL. I know I've peeked in your blog before, but never realized that we seem to be living some sort of parallel life! (Or maybe perpendicular, but I'll get to that...)

I am a Nebraska farm wife, with in-laws a mile down the road, though someday we'll get to live right smack across the road from them. (Right now, we live in a house owned by hubs's uncle.) In my situation, my father-in-law is the one that is ill - he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease a few months ago. (that's where the perpendicularity - if there is such a word - comes in!)

Regardless, I can somewhat relate to MIL issues. I'm positive our little details are plenty different, but I'm going to tell you what worked in my case: spending more time with her. Yup, that's right.

Five years ago, I'd never to have guessed that to be the case. We've gone through plenty of spells where we haven't had much to say to each other (though to be fair, I think much of that came from me, not so much her) and I never really considered that we might be friends.

After my FIL's diagnosis, I started having to step up more with things, though I still have a long way to go. I know I will need to start doing bookwork before long and I dread it, but I try to think of it as a way to serve my hubs. I also have been spending one day a week (due to my dwadling, though, it's closer to half a day total) helping her in her quilt shop, and the time spent chit chatting has been really awesome for us.

After meals, I do everything that I can to help her clean up, though I admit I usually avoid dishes like the plague because I HATE washing dishes! I know where her plastic storage containers are, so getting leftovers put away is easy. I set the table before dinner (I go breakfast/lunch/supper myself, to avoid confusion, but let's go with them on this) without being asked. Of course, it helps tremendously that she isn't particular about how that stuff is done. Hubs's grandma is a whole different story there...

We have our own family dynamics - I won't even get into hubs's sisters - and I know from the bit of scrolling through that I did that your dynamics are different. I just wanted to let you know that I kinda can feel your pain. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail at nettacow at gmail dot com if you ever want to chat or blow off some steam. :>)

Contributors

Cast of Characters

Majellamom is a city girl turned farm wife, a Catholic convert of 13 years, and homeschooling mom of two adorable girls.

Bret K. is a farmer. Spends most of his time in a feed truck (or loader) listening to talk radio...a political and news junky, he has a college degree in Sociology with Peace and Justice and Philosophy minors. Proud owner of dumb Pug. Also blogs over at Rural Republic.

Eva is 7 and spunky. Too smart for our own good, she loves to dance and sing. She has a tendency to be very serious and very funny almost at the same time.

Charlotte is 5! She wants to be a ballerina and singer. She love princesses, and love to dance, and sing, and talk, talk, talk. Her favorite color is white because it is the color of a wedding dress.

MIL is Bret's mom. She lives a little over a mile away, drives like a maniac, and likes to be involved in everything. She's a great cook and baker, but tells me that she thought you had to fry hamburgers in butter when she got married.

FIL is Bret's dad...and boss...(el jefe) He loves his little granddaughters, and loves to buy cows. Going a little deaf, you can hear his cell phone conversations from 100 feet away.

BIL is Bret's younger brother and works with him and FIL on the farm. He's the mechanically inclined one, and actually went to college to study Ag. He's a couple of years out of college and a couple of years married. Lives about 2 miles from us.

Majellamom has several SILs...

Eldest SIL is two weeks younger than Majellamom and is Bret's first sister. Currently living in the nearest town big enough to have a Wal-Mart, she loves to play with the girls and sometimes gets extremely crafty.

Next SIL recently moved from the west coast to the east coast, but usually comes home to visit a couple of times a year. The girl's love her visits.

Final SIL is married to BIL and works in town. She loves to ride horses, plans to teach the girls to ride someday, and is the person Eva most wants to be like.

Majellamom has family too...just not as much...there's mom and dad, who live in the mountains...mom retired from teaching this year and dad is still driving down the mountain to teach. She also has an older brother, who currently lives in the house she grew up in.